LANDO Norris has been tipped to finish in the top three of this year's Formula 1 drivers' championship.

F1 journalist Lawrence Barretto made the bold prediction, raising high hopes for the 24-year-old Bristol-born driver, who grew up in Glastonbury.

In a piece titled '5 bold predictions for the 2024 season' on the official F1 website, Barretto confidently forecasted Lando Norris' successful year ahead.

He said: "While Lando Norris didn’t quite achieve my prediction of a maiden Grand Prix win in 2023, he did secure a career-best haul of seven podiums – six of them P2s – to show that he’s getting ever closer to the that elusive top step of the rostrum."

Lando Norris' promising performance last season saw him challenging Red Bull’s runaway champion Max Verstappen on more than one occasion.

Somerset County Gazette: F1 journalist Lawrence Barretto made the bold prediction, raising high hopes for the 24-year-old

Continuing his predictions, Barretto said: "With McLaren delivering the second-quickest package for much of the second-half of the year – and seemingly on the right development trajectory in the chase of world champions Red Bull, I expect them to be a force straight out of the box."

Last year, Lando Norris scored a total of 205 points to beat his highly-rated rookie teammate Oscar Piastri, respectively placing sixth and ninth in the season.

Barretto expects  Norris to further improve, applauding his consistent performances and ability to seize a huge haul of points critical for McLaren.

He concluded: "Expect Norris to slash the mistakes and deliver consistency that will not only put him in the hunt for more wins, but yield a haul of podiums so impressive, he’ll secure a top-three spot in the drivers’ standings."